Ashleigh Kleinjan

Athlete of the Month – Ashleigh Kleinjan

As 19-year-old Ashleigh Kleinjan crossed the 2014 Chicago Marathon finish line in under four hours, no one could believe she underwent hip surgery last year. During her senior year of high school, Ashleigh experienced debilitating hip pain and was unable to run her final track season.

Ashleigh's condition was especially concerning because she planned to run cross-country in college, and wouldn't be able to unless her hip condition was effectively treated. A teammate referred her to Dr. Shane Nho, a sports medicine physician at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush. Ashleigh's mother, a physical therapist herself, had previously taken Ashleigh to the doctors at MOR for an ankle injury, and knew it was the place to go for orthopedic conditions.

Within five minutes of looking at her MRI, Dr. Nho diagnosed Ashleigh with a labral tear in her hip. This is a condition that is often misdiagnosed, but Dr. Nho, one of the nation's experts in treating the condition with arthroscopic surgery, recognized that Ashleigh was a candidate. Arthroscopic hip surgery is a procedure in which a tiny camera is inserted into the hip to guide the physician during minimally invasive surgery.

Ashleigh had hip surgery in June of 2013 before leaving for college. After surgery, Ashleigh feared she would never run again. But after eight months of rehab, she was able to build up her strength and endurance and compete again.

A little over one year after her surgery with Dr. Nho, Ashleigh completed the Chicago Marathon and reports she is now running better than ever. "Without the surgery, I would have never been able to make it," Ashleigh admits. "It was definitely worth it."

A little over one year after her surgery with Dr. Nho, Ashleigh completed the Chicago Marathon and reports she is now running better than ever. "Without the surgery, I would have never been able to make it," Ashleigh admits. "It was definitely worth it."